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Value (5.5)
The Kodak EasyShare P850 originally retailed for $499 when it was announced in August 2005, but the price quickly dropped. Kodak reevaluated many of its prices on digital cameras this year. Currently, the company lists the retail price at $299. This price is so good that consumers almost forget that the LCD screen has only 115,000 pixels, the built-in flash unit is horribly uneven and harsh, and the pictures just don’t look impressive. The Kodak P850 does have some great components: a 12x optical zoom lens, image stabilization, movie shooting and editing, and full manual functionality. But if it doesn’t take beautiful pictures, is it really worth even $299?
Comparisons
 Kodak EasyShare P880 – This digital camera has more resolution with 8.1 megapixels and is the flagship of Kodak’s Performance Series. It has many of the same advanced shooting features as the P850: manual and priority modes, the same white balance options, and RAW shooting capability. The P880 has a slightly slower 2 fps burst mode, and has the same problem with shutter lag that the P850 has. One of the most noticeable differences between the two cameras is the smaller lens on the flagship model. The Kodak P880 has a Schnieder-Kreuznach 5.8x optical zoom lens with no stabilization system. Not only is the lens shorter, but it has a smaller maximum aperture of f/4.1. The P880 is much larger with its 4.5 x 3.8 x 3.6-inch measurements and 17.6 oz weight. Still, the cameras have similar components. Both have the same electronic viewfinder and 2.5-inch LCD screen with only 115,000 pixels. The built-in flash units are different though. The P880’s must be manually opened, whereas the one on the P850 simply pops up automatically. The Kodak EasyShare P880’s built-in flash unit is more powerful; both cameras have a hot shoe and accept the same accessory flash. The P880 retails for $499.
 Canon PowerShot S3 IS – The S3 IS costs quite a bit more at $499, but takes great pictures. It has a 12x optical zoom lens with an optical image stabilization system. The 6.1-megapixel digital camera has an electronic viewfinder with a large window and cushy eyecup, but its resolution doesn’t come close to that of the Kodak P850’s. The Canon PowerShot S3 IS also has a 2-inch LCD monitor that folds out and rotates. It has the same amount of screen resolution as the P850, but spreads its pixels across a smaller area so it looks smoother. Unfortunately, the LCD solarizes and needs to be tilted often. The S3 has a built-in flash unit that produces much more even lighting and extends a little farther to 17 ft. It is compatible with a Canon slave flash unit that can reach as far as 30 ft and costs about a hundred dollars. The S3 offers similar manual functionality. It has manual, priority, and auto modes – but doesn’t have the custom modes like the Kodak P850. The Canon S3 does have a nicer ISO range that extends up to 800 – even while shooting full resolution pictures. Its white balance options aren’t nearly as extensive though. Its shutter speed range is wider from 15-1/3200 th of a second, and its aperture range offers ten stops but begins with a wider f/2.7. The Canon PowerShot S3 IS cannot shoot in RAW format and eats up AA batteries, but takes beautiful pictures with nearly perfect colors.
 Fujifilm FinePix S5200 – This SLR-shaped digital camera offers the same amount of resolution as the Kodak P850 and pairs it with a 10x optical zoom lens. It does not have image stabilization, but it did turn in some impressive pictures and performances. It produced colors that were extremely realistic and it kept noise to a minimum. This is great especially considering the camera’s ISO range extends up to 1600. Despite the high sensitivity, the camera didn’t perform very well in low light. Pictures are properly exposed, but the colors looked awfully saturated. The Fujifilm FinePix S5200 has a 1.8-inch LCD screen with 115,000 pixels and an electronic viewfinder with poor resolution. These don’t complement the manual focus mode, which doesn’t magnify the center of the composition either. The S5200 has full manual controls, but there aren’t as many designated buttons on the camera body. There is no jog dial and set button like on the Kodak either. Instead, users must constantly enter the menu system to switch the ISO or adjust the white balance and such. The Fujifilm FinePix S5200 retails for $399.
 Olympus SP-500 UZ – Perhaps its closest neighbor, the SP-500 also has a spot at the low-end of the ultra-zoom market. It offers 6 megapixels of resolution, but poor color reproduction and an abundance of noise in pictures. Still, the Olympus has 27 shooting modes ranging from the fully manual to the fully automatic with everything in between. It even has four custom shooting modes. Its SLR-shaped body has a 10x optical zoom lens tacked onto its front, but it is not equipped with image stabilization. The lens accepts conversion lenses, but there is no hot shoe. This is too bad because the SP-500’s built-in unit is tiny and has a range as disappointing as the Kodak P850’s. The digital camera has an electronic viewfinder with much less resolution at 201,000 pixels. The tiny viewfinder is surrounded by plastic that is not comfortable at all and makes the Kodak EasyShare P850 look like a plush LaZBoy. The Olympus SP-500 UZ has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 115,000 pixels – the same specs as the Kodak model. The Olympus camera has similar exposure specs too: 15-1/1000 th of a second shutter speed range and f/2.8-f/8 aperture range. The SP-500 adds a panorama stitching mode, voice memos, and is powered by AA batteries. It retails for $379.
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 – This model has an optically stabilized 12x zoom lens that is compatible with conversion lenses. The 6-megapixel Sony H2 has full manual functionality, but no custom modes or settings. In fact, the H2 has bare bones manual offerings. It has a manual white balance mode, but no white balance compensation. It has three standard metering options and no selectable spot metering. It has a relatively slow 1.3 fps burst mode and no exposure bracketing. To its credit, though, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 has a much better ISO range that extends up to 1000. It also has a bigger shutter speed range from 30-1/1000 th of a second. There is a function guide that explains what modes do and how large each image size can actually print. The SLR-shaped H2 has poor resolution on its viewfinder and equally awful viewing options on its LCD screen. The screen measures only 2 inches and has, even worse, only 85,000 pixels. The digital camera runs on AA batteries and requires a Memory Stick Duo card rather than the Kodak’s more common SD format. The Sony model even goes so far as to require a Memory Stick Pro Duo card (more expensive, of course) to capture video at a full 30 fps. The Sony H2 has limited manual options, but is easier to use and retails for $399.
Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters – Don’t be fooled by the Kodak EasyShare name; the P850 doesn’t have the same target audience as its C-series of point-and-shoot cameras. This camera offers more control and less ease of use, so these consumers will want to look elsewhere.
Budget Consumers – With a retail price of $299, consumers may almost forget that the P850 takes marginal pictures.
Gadget Freaks – These consumers won’t be impressed with this model. Their interest might be piqued by the image stabilization system, but even that is becoming a standard feature nowadays.
Manual Control Freaks – To its credit, the Kodak EasyShare P850 has plenty of manual controls. Not only can users adjust the shutter speed and aperture, but they can tweak the white balance to resemble almost any color and can save custom settings to three modes.
Pros/ Serious Hobbyists – The specifications make this a candidate for a backup model, but the quality of the pictures doesn’t merit a spot in the camera bag for these elite photographers.
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